The Spurs midfielder, 21, got his international call-up on Thursday, joining the list of those who have blossomed under the leadership of the Argentine.

Dier is poised to become the ELEVENTH of the last 16 Three Lions debutants to have played for Pochettino either at White Hart Lane or Southampton.

The holding midfielder said: “He gives us young players the chance. He believes in us and it’s then a matter of us taking that chance.

“We’ve all taken our chances and if you do that he sticks with you and believes in you.

“It is great to have somebody like him who believes in us and gives us the platform to play on.”

Dier says he can complete a “dream week” if he follows his call-up with a win over North London rivals Arsenal today.

He added: “It’s going to be a tough task and I don’t want to get ahead of myself but it could be – and hopefully will be – a dream week for me.

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FUTURE STAR: Dier is hoping to impress on the international stage

“We’re on a great run but that’s in the past. None of that matters if we lose on Sunday”

Eric Dier

“The manager told me the day before there was a chance I would be in the squad and then I found out just like everyone else.

“I was just having lunch and he called me over and said he had spoken to Roy Hodgson after the Aston Villa game and he thought there was a strong possibility I would be in the squad. It is an incredible step up considering two years ago I was playing in Portugal.”

Cheltenham-born Dier, who moved to Spurs from Sporting Lisbon in August last year, is the grandson of former FA secretary Ted Croker.

He added: “I never got the chance to meet him but I’m sure my grandma Kathy will be there to see me and it will be a very proud moment for her.

“I have lived in Portgual since I was eight. It’s my home but I am English. I am aware of what this derby means.

“I know a lot about it. I watched a lot of the Premier League when I lived in Portugal and I know all about the North London derby.”

Dier expects Arsenal to bounce back from their battering by Bayern Munich in midweek and says the teams’ recent form will not matter because of the nature of what it means to both sides.

He said: “I played in a lot of derbies in Portugal but I knew what to expect when I came here.“

They are really enjoyable games and we are going to try to do our best.

“It doesn’t matter we are going into the game on the back of a few wins, plus Arsenal’s beating in Germany.

“When it’s a derby, everything else goes out of the window.

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THE BOSS: Pochettino is delighted to have another one of his players in the England squad

“Both teams are doing extremely well in the league so it’s going to be a very good game.

“We’re on a great run but that’s in the past. None of that matters if we lose on Sunday.”

Pochettino, meanwhile, says he is happy that his work is helping England.

He said: “If a player deserves to play, they play.

“But for that you need to build the player, develop the player and all young players have different timings of how they develop their game.

“We believe we have the right balance between the experienced players, senior players and the young ones.

“Dier has had difficult moments but younger players needs faith in them and you need to translate the feeling that you believe in them. It gives them something.”